


Mi Cielito

by canidswain



Series: Batter redemption AU [1]
Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Batter becomes aware it's a game, Boss Zacharie, But Zacharie's there to help, Does not deal with it well, Happy Ending, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:40:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25058614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canidswain/pseuds/canidswain
Summary: The point was, Zacharie had tested everything. Over the countless times their player returned to their world and recycled the same bloody, violent story, one thing stayed continuous: Zacharie was the only one who knew it was a game.But this time Batter wakes up.
Relationships: The Batter/Zacharie, i guess not explicit but implied, zacharie is clearly checking him out HDSJAFK
Series: Batter redemption AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1819504
Comments: 15
Kudos: 92





	Mi Cielito

**Author's Note:**

> listen i hate canon batter sm but i kin that dude so i wanted to make Nice batter redemption au where the players the bad guy and batters just a puppet for their Carnage. and also batter and zacharie r a little bit gay........... leave me alone. comment if u like please your comments are like kisses to my brain
> 
> first time writing batter and zacharie too so sorry if ooc!!! batter is meant to be a lil ooc though cause the smug canon batter is actually just his programmed dialogue and hes a different guy underneath. enjoy!!!

This was the eighth run, if he remembered correctly. Perhaps the seventh. Zacharie had stopped bothering to pay attention sometime around halfway through the fourth time.

He was well aware it was a game. He was created with that knowledge, for whatever reason, and at first it had tormented him. The idea that he wasn't real, nor anyone else in his world, all of it having been created by a cruel god - _a programmer,_ a part of him somehow knew - just for the entertainment of players they couldn't see. It tore him apart for the first two runs, then on the third he began accepting the pointlessness of his situation, and by the fifth he was content to sit back and watch it happen again.

Zacharie couldn't change much. He had the slightest bit of free reign though, it seemed to come with his self-aware attributes. Other NPCs had to repeat the same drab dialogue over and over, none the wiser, however so long as he got the basic gist of his programmed message out, the merchant found he could chatter on about most anything he wanted. The Batter of course never replied outside of his own designated lines, making the exchanges rather dull, but it helped sometimes to waste the man's time with whatever was on his mind as the athlete looked on blankly.

Finding he also had the ability to wander, Zacharie explored most any crevice he could find. If Batter entered an area he was needed in, the game would irritatingly spawn him in there, but in the time he had between dialogue, the merchant chose to inspect. The first exploration had simply been meandering through the zones, acquainting himself with NPCs the game told him he already knew, yet who he was certain he had never actually met before. After that, just chatting had gotten boring, so he took to investigating areas he knew the main storyline didn't cover.

They, of course, were all remarkably empty. He supposed whoever had made them didn't need to program in areas that were never going to be visited by the player. His searches would turn up tiny spaces of nothingness - on the side of the monorail the Batter never travelled down, it would suddenly cut into a black wall, utterly impassable. In zone 3, he once launched himself into one of the other tunnels atop the sugar factory, and lo and behold, if it had a bottom, he certainly wasn't going to find it. He fell through that tunnel for what felt like hours until Batter once again entered the mall over in zone 2 and he was unceremoniously teleported back behind the counter. He pledged never to throw himself down mysterious tunnels again after that.

The point was, Zacharie had tested everything. Over the countless times their player returned to their world and recycled the same bloody, violent story, one thing stayed continuous: Zacharie was the only one who knew it was a game. Not even Pablo - who had at least been made with the knowledge of the player, but not the bigger picture - was aware of their predicament. And he carried this knowledge everywhere. Throughout the game, but especially in the space between runs. Those times were the strangest, and the most distressing - having to sit in simple _nothingness,_ even his body destroyed, just a single consciousness among all the lines of code surrounding him, for days and months until the player decided a replay was in order.

Zacharie dreaded the day they would decide the game had run out of replay value and leave them to waste away in the darkness.

The merchant was pondering on such things in Alma, standing dutifully outside Dedan's office on his little platform, watching Batter out of the corner of his eye as the player made him save. This must be a particularly dedicated run, he thought, as this seemed the first time the player had quit the game. That had to be, what, four or five hours of play? Maybe less, it wasn't like Zacharie was keeping track.

Feeling his limbs relax and the ability to move from his position return, Zacharie stretched and belatedly bid the player farewell. A good time for a gander, he thought, perhaps go find Pablo for a gossip. He cast a glance over to the Batter, still situated in front of the savepoint, in time to see the man collapse like a puppet with its strings cut. Fitting (as he was only the vessel for the player after all), but slightly peculiar, as that had never happened before, as far as the merchant had seen. Usually he would just stand around unresponsively until the player returned.

That was when Zacharie picked up on the noises of- sobbing? Alarm hit him like a brick. _Was the Batter crying?_

His head snapped over to stare intently at the display - Batter wasn't crying, but he was hunched over on the ground wailing like a child. Surely he mustn't miss the player _that_ badly _already?_ Zacharie recalled the time they had left him sitting in his shop in zone 3 for two months before returning. No, it couldn't have been that.

Zacharie didn't have time to puzzle it any further before the Batter was hauling himself to his feet and sprinting the merchant's way. Stepping back in panic, his eyes followed the puppet as he hurled his bat far into the distance with a raw shriek of grief. It sank miserably into the meat lake and disappeared under the surface as Batter fell to his knees in front of Zacharie and continued to weep.

For a few moments, Zacharie stood there, blinking dumbly, unable to process what had just happened. He decided to run it through in his head again to make some sense of it.

One: The Batter had collapsed.

Two: The Batter had started crying.

Three: The Batter had thrown his prized weapon into the meat.

No, that still made no sense.

Hesitantly, Zacharie lowered himself into a crouch in front of the trembling athlete. "Hey, amigo, what's eating you? What could possible trouble dear Batter?" he forced out in his usual cheery tone.

Somehow he wasn't prepared for when Batter looked up at him. All four crimson eyes were ablaze with _emotion,_ with feelings other than righteousness and irritation. His eyes were - Zacharie realised in horror - _aware._ He felt his throat go dry, a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Oh. How difficult. Did you finally realise?"

-

Their conversation confirmed Zacharie's fears. Batter recounted his story to the merchant - he'd appeared from nothing with a mission, to purify ( _yes, Zacharie knew that part_ ), though he didn't know exactly what that meant. None of his movements were his own, being controlled by some higher force that the Judge recognised - _the player,_ Zacharie gently informed him - but they seemed to know exactly what his mission entailed so he trusted them to purify the spectres. However, when they encountered their first Burnt, the doubt began to creep in.

By the time they made it to Alma, Batter was thoroughly convinced that the definition of "impurity" was rather skewed and the murder of these Elsen was distressing him. But he couldn't stop it, his every action instructed by the player lest they put him on auto mode - which they never did, Batter said, as after the Burnt he had refused to fight when he could help it. Even the cold words he spoke weren't his own, simply being drawn out of him at certain points uncaring of whether he believed them himself. Zacharie listened in resignment, wondering why _now_ that the Batter had gained sentience.

"Ah, a shame. But there's nothing to be done about it, dear Batter, my condolences," Zacharie rattled off in a disinterested tone, "The player will play the game, you will destroy this world once again and then we will all be left in non-existence for the umpteenth time. It has happen every time before now, and I have never managed to deviate its course."

"No." Well, he couldn't be expected to just accept it. Zacharie was reminded of himself the first time around, the anguish and desperation there in his acquaintance's features. "There must be a way, I'm telling you, Zacharie, there has to be some way to halt their progress." 

"And I am telling you, dear Batter, that I have tried everything. You're being melodramatic, my friend."

Something like determination shone in every one of Batter's eyes, "Yes, but you're not me. Surely the fact that I am the main character has some weight? I could change it."

A scoff, "How very humble of you, mi amigo. However, I gather you ought to re-evaluate your position in this game - you are a puppet, are you not? You lose all motor skills to their control. I, rather, can pass as I please; therefore I conclude I have much more power than you do in our current predicament. Thus I repeat, there is nothing to be done about it."

The rage bubbling under the Batter's skin began to show on his face, causing Zacharie to sigh and lean away from him. This seemed to anger him even further, he opened his mouth to begin yelling at the merchant. Said merchant cut him off with a snide, "Here, for your troubles, how about a free bat? It is not an upgrade, but I see you need one after your tantrum."

The bat being offered to the puppet was immediately snatched up and pointed accusatorily towards Zacharie, Batter launching to his feet and shuffling backwards in agitation. "Fine, if you say it is always the same, then what is the harm in trying to change it again? We have infinite tries, do we not?"

 _No, we have until the player tires of our story and moves on,_ Zacharie wanted to say. For the moment, he pushed that thought aside, instead opting for, "I do not blame you for your optimism, dear Batter, but this is the first time you have woken up. We are on the near dozenth repeat, or something of the kind. There is every chance that this is an anomaly, and the next time you will once again be hollow like the rest of our poor companions here."

"Oh." The passion seemed to fizzle for a moment, before simmering back to life, "But, even then, we-"

"Have the rest of this run?" Zacharie clambered to his feet with a huff. He towered over the batter by four or five inches, gazing soberly down at him through the holes in his mask. "You have not died yet, have you? We have no way of knowing that will not revert you, mi amigo. Perhaps we should try it anyway, you are probably better off forgetting again."

This seemed to flick some switch in the Batter, as the next thing he knew, the end of his bat was clasped in one of Zacharie's broad, calloused hands. A flash of regret echoed on the protagonist's face, "I- Apologies," but he trailed off at the familiar sound of the battle music beginning.

The confusion mirrored itself onto Zacharie's face as he let go of the bat, where it swung back down to Batter's side. "Well, I must say, this is new. I believe you triggered a battle. With the merchant NPC of all characters, my. I didn't even consider this a possibility."

"You see, I can change things! We can fight this, Zacharie."

The two watched, equally fascinated, as a sword materalised in the taller man's hand. "Hm, perhaps. But first it appears we must fight each other, ahaha."

With that, magnificent wings sprung from the merchant's back. He stumbled for a moment, offkilter from the sudden weight, and twisted his head around to stare in astonishment. The Batter did the same, mouth hanging slightly ajar. The wings were pure, soft white, with a span of at least six metres. They opened proudly behind Zacharie, puffing up and displaying each feather with precision, fluttering gently with anticipation.

"That... that is different." Zacharie's eyes were wide behind his mask.

"You were not aware you possess wings?" The Batter found himself reaching out to brush the edges of his fingers along a single trembling feather.

Shaking his head, Zacharie gave the wings an experimental flap. It nearly knocked Batter off his feet. "No, I suppose it is my hidden battle form, only to appear when provoked. Although, being the merchant NPC, I haven't the slightest clue why I should have one."

Eyes flicked back up to see Batter staring intently at him for a moment, before a look of shock crossed his companion's face. "What? Is there something the matter, my friend?"

"Zacharie, your HP... I don't think this is just a battle form."

"Oh?"

"I just used wide angle. Your statistics are... immense. I believe you may be a boss."

Well, that was certainly a first. Zacharie considered the sword in his hand. "A boss, really? My, my..." His eyes met Batter's. "I think I may have an answer to our problem."

-

It wasn't often, if at all, that Zacharie felt hopeful. But this plan... it wasn't foolproof, far from it, but it gave them a genuine chance finally.

At the discovery that Zacharie was in fact, a boss, and an incredibly powerful one at that (they deduced perhaps he was supposed to be a hidden challenge boss that the programmer abandoned the concept of), they had begun plotting. They theorised that if the player encountered an enemy they couldn't beat, they might abandon the game. And abandoning the game in the middle of a playthrough, in zone 1 where no one important had yet perished, meant that they could continue existing outside of the plot for however long it granted them. The player may return to have another try, but so long as they never got past Zacharie, the story would never continue and no one else would have to die.

It felt strange to work alongside Batter - the _real_ Batter, not the empty mass of pre-written lines and electrical puppetry that the player manoeuvered about. Now that the anger had died down, he was closer to his former self, but whenever Zacharie was shot through with the fear that his companion had forgotten, he simply had to look at the man's eyes. They were still so lively, so determined and hopeful. It settled his nerves instantly.

This Batter was still serious and monotonous, but he cracked the occasional tight smile. What delighted Zacharie was the way he fidgeted - he was always so unnaturally still as the player's vessel, but now he constantly jittered. When clutching his bat, his fingers would ghost over the handle, clenching and unclenching and rubbing at the end. He would tilt his head this way and that, roll his shoulders, draw his upper lip back to pick at the (unsettlingly sharp) teeth there, bounce on his heels. It was... slightly charming.

While they waited for the player to return, they simply talked. At first, it was planning, but eventually they ran out of details to run through and veered away from the topic. They then discussed Zacharie; how did he already know all this, it must have been so awful for him, did anyone else know, et cetera. Then the topic turned to Batter. As far as Batter was willing to reveal, he knew his purpose was to purify. Aside from that, he didn't have a lot else. Vaguely in his memory he recalled the boy, Hugo, and the queen, but he didn't know his relationship to them or anything else other than that he was supposed to cull them. Understandable, Zacharie supposed. He was glad they were stopping that.

After a while the topic turned once again, switching to what they would do if this worked. That was hard to say. This wasn't exactly the pleasantest of worlds, but they concluded they would make the most of it if they were to be trapped here forever. The Elsen were delightful little things, after all, and Zacharie felt tremendously for improving their lives. He guessed that was why he was owner of the park area. He invited Batter to come stay at his little set up in the mall, as Batter obviously had nowhere to live otherwise - perhaps he could help around, stacking shelves and whatnot. Even if Batter had no need for his wares anymore, the Elsen still came by the mall often. And, Zacharie said, the spectres were still a danger. Even if he abandoned his mission of purification, it couldn't hurt to keep the zones cleared out. Batter agreed.

And after that, the conversation trailed away and they sat in comfortable silence. Zacharie relaxed against his collosal mound of a backpack, closing his eyes for a brief respite. He could sense his companion fidgeting once more, tense with anticipation. He had confided in Zacharie how disturbing the feeling of not being in control of your own body was, and was clearly fearing the moment their player would return. Zacharie cracked an eyelid open.

"My friend, come rest with me. We have time."

With some amount of hesitation, Batter shuffled over and leant against the merchant, sighing. Zacharie didn't bother hiding the way his eyes skipped up and down Batter's form - lean, athletic, lithe and small compared to his tall, broad expanse. They slotted together nicely, he regarded, letting Batter slip his head in under the merchant's chin, his cap discarded next to the pair.

They stayed like that for hours, dropping off to sleep.

-

Woken by a sudden absense next to him, Zacharie blearily got to his feet and glanced over to where Batter was now standing, rigid, in front of the savepoint. The player was back.

Zacharie nodded reassuringly to his friend, who couldn't nod back but met his eyes with resolve firm in his gaze.

The player guided Batter back over to Zacharie, probably checking there was nothing else they had missed amongst his wares to help with the upcoming battle. Well, _a_ upcoming battle. They were just expecting a different opponent.

The merchant bid the two goodbye as Batter marched away, and allowed him up until he reached Dedan's gates before steeling himself.

"Oh, my friend, but you surely did not assume I'd simply let you destroy my home again?"

That seemed to trigger some kind of pre-battle cutscene, as Batter froze in place and slowly turned back around. Zacharie found he could move from his platform and strode leisurely towards the shorter man. Amusement was clear in Batter's eyes, so Zacharie continued on, "After so many moments bearing witness to your slaughter, I do believe I deserve some retribution myself, mi amigo. Don't you agree?"

And with that, the battle music erupted full blast and Zacharie's wings unfurled, lifting him far above the purifier. This would not be pleasant.

The first effort was a worthy one, lasting at least ten minutes before the player ran out of tickets and Batter succumbed to the wounds Zacharie's blade had marked up and down his torso. The second was over quicker, the player making the mistake of stocking up on tickets but neglecting flesh - meaning Batter ran out of competence and stood no chance. Both times, Zacharie barely lost half his health. He was relieved that time as well to note the look of immediate recognition on the athlete's face, letting the merchant know he still remembered.

The third, fourth and fifth times, Batter fought valiantly, but continually perished. The sixth time seemed to be fueled by frustration, as it was overly violent but didn't last long. Zacharie was tiring of seeing his companion's corpse on the end of his sword, but they had to continue this charade until they succeeded.

Zacharie stopped keeping count, slashing down the Batter again and again, evading attacks and taunting the player. It felt sickeningly good to finally have some form of revenge, even if it had to be delivered through poor Batter.

Finally, after seemingly hours, Batter spawned in once again and marched over to Zacharie. The player perused his wares once again, buying nothing, then returned to the savepoint and left. Zacharie watched in contentment as Batter visibly relaxed and dropped his bat. They met eyes.

"Zacharie, do you think-"

Batter couldn't finish, as he found the breath promptly knocked out of him in a bone-crushing embrace that lifted him clear off the ground. And then he was crying out in elation, whooping and hollering just as Zacharie trilled and grito-ed. He spun them both around, so precariously that there were several moments they could have toppled into the meat pools.

Eventually, Zacharie set the Batter down, but still held him close. Batter couldn't tell entirely due to the mask, but he was sure the merchant's eyes looked a little bloodshot.

"We're free, mi cielito."

Batter started to laugh.


End file.
